Ottawa startup Lightship Security illuminated the “darkness that is cybersecurity” on Techopia Live this week, telling us how the firm is helping products get securely to market as quickly as possible.

President Jason Lawlor gave us a bit of background on product development in this emerging space. Many vendors develop security products, but consumers – users in government, especially – need third parties to verify that they work.

Only problem? The increasingly demanding cybersecurity industry has mostly relied on rather archaic, manual processes to certify products. Once a product is released, it can take a year or more before it’s cleared for industry use.

Lawlor says this issue was the impetus for Lightship’s voyage. The co-founders, who have been in the industry for roughly a decade, believed they could automate the certification process. At each stage of development, Lightship can make sure a product is compliant with international security standards so that when it’s complete, it’s already market-ready.

“When a product actually becomes available, it can be certified almost simultaneously, in lock-step,” Lawlor told Techopia Live. “And that’s where we’re differentiating ourselves in the market.”

Based in Ottawa’s Byward Market, Lightship has seen exponential growth in its two years in existence, its CEO says. The firm has leaned on government of Canada funding from IRAP and is also looking to work with the feds through the Build in Canada Innovation Program.

Lawlor says the burgeoning tech scene in Ottawa combined with the federal government’s presence have fostered a strong environment to grow cybersecurity startups.

“When you look at what we’re doing, it really is unique not just within the Canadian context but in the international context,” he says.